The Future Relies on the Past
by GoDale13
Summary: Spoilers for Season 7 The team has been assigned to investigate the disappearance of a Marine, and Gibbs gives Tony an order he is unsure of. TIVA COmplete
1. Chapter 1

_Here's a little something I came up with after watching the promo for next week, and listening to "Got Dynamite" by Demi Lovato. Great song! You should listen to it! Hope you like this story. _

Ziva stormed into the NCIS office on Tuesday morning. It'd been over a week since she'd filed her special agent application, but she had yet to hear anything about it. "McGee, I need you to do something for me," she said, walking straight to his desk, completely ignoring Tony who sat at his desk. "I need you to check on my application," she explained, earning a surprised look from both agents.

"It's true?" McGee asked, staring at the Israeli. "I thought Abby was just joshing me," he babbled trying to comprehend.

"How did Abby find out?" Ziva asked, leaning on McGee's desk. "Did she know anything?" she asked.

Tony's interest had reached its full level by now, and he found himself walking over to McGee's desk to better hear what was going on. "Find out about what?" he asked.

"She was doing background checks for the Director, and your name came up," McGee explained, answering Ziva's question.

"And?" Ziva asked, clearly anxious about the whole ordeal.

McGee chose not to answer; instead he typed a moment on his keyboard and pulled up Ziva's application. "I was rejected? How?" Ziva exclaimed, reading over McGee's shoulder.

"You applied to be a special agent?" Tony asked, shocked at the revelation. "What about Mossad?"

"It is not longer an issue," Ziva said offhandedly. "How could I have been rejected?" she asked out loud hoping for an answer to appear.

"David, Director wants to see you," Gibbs said, walking into the bullpen with a cup of coffee in his hands. The three could tell almost immediately that something was on Gibbs' mind, and whatever it was was not something good. After Ziva headed up the stairs and was out of earshot, Gibbs turned to DiNozzo and McGee, "Director wants us to investigate the wrecking of the Damocles off the coast of Somalia."

"Boss, that's the ship Ziva was supposed to be on," McGee stated wide-eyed.

"I know," Gibbs sighed, looking up at the doorway to Vance's office.

"What jurisdiction does NCIS have?" Tony asked.

"Don't know," Gibbs said, taking a drink of his coffee. "McGee, go down and help Abby find out what she can," he ordered and the young man took off towards the elevator.

Tony stood there, waiting for Gibbs to tell him what to do. All he really wanted to do was to go home and forget that any of this ever happened. He had a feeling that after this investigation was over, the team was going to learn more about the events of Ziva's last four months than they really wanted.

"Ziva is not going to open up without being forced," Gibbs said, surprising the man.

"What do you want me to do?" Tony asked, knowing what Gibbs was not saying.

"If we force her to tell us what happened before she is ready, it could damage her already unstable frame of mind," Gibbs reiterated what Ducky had informed him a few days before. "I need you to get her to open up about the past few months. We need to know what really happened to that ship. It wasn't just a storm, Tony," Gibbs explained.

"What am I supposed to do?" Tony exclaimed. "If you haven't noticed, we haven't been on the best of terms the past six months or so," Tony began.

"Tony," Gibbs stopped the man. "I need you to do this," he said in a manner that Tony was not used to one bit.

Ziva returned to the bullpen and noticed Tony was the only one there. "Where is Gibbs?" she asked.

"Went down to Ducky's," Tony said, not taking his eyes off of the paperwork he was working on.

"And McGee?" Ziva asked, standing in front of Tony's desk.

"With Abby," Tony answered simply.

"I have been giving the rest of the week off," Ziva explained.

"I know," Tony replied.

"You know?" Ziva asked. "Vance just told me though," she said, gesturing towards Vance's office.

"I'm your escort," Tony explained, finally looking up at Ziva.

"I do not need an escort," Ziva said frustrated. "I told him I was fine."

"No you aren't," Gibbs said, walking to the Israeli. "Until we know for sure that you are, you are under Tony's surveillance at all time."

"Gibbs…' Ziva began to argue.

"It's not your choice," Gibbs told her. "I don't expect either of you back until Monday," he ordered the two.

**Tony's Car**

"So, your place or mine?" Tony asked, pulling out of his parking space in the garage.

"I am still living at the Navy Lodge," Ziva explained, looking out of the passenger side window.

"My place it is," Tony said, peeling out of the parking lot. He didn't care if he was driving reckless. It helped him think, and there was a lot to think about.

**Tony's Apartment**

"You can have the bedroom," Tony told Ziva as they walked into the room. "Just let me do a little cleaning first," he said, hurrying into the bedroom. Judging from the mess in the living room, Ziva could only imagine what the room on the other side of the wall must look like.

"The couch is fine, Tony," Ziva called through the open doorway.

"No it isn't," Tony yelled back. "I rarely sit on that thing. I haven't gotten a new one yet," he explained just as he heard a crash from the other room. "I thought you remembered," he said, walking back.

"That was almost three years ago, Tony," Ziva growled, trying to pull herself up from the middle of the couch. The moment she sat on the couch, she felt the top give way, and found her legs sticking up over her heads.

"Here," Tony said, stepping in front of Ziva and holding out his hands to help her. Ziva grabbed each of his hands with hers and allowed him to pull her easily out of the hole she found herself in. "I've been meaning to get a new one, but I haven't had a chance to go shopping yet. Besides, I haven't needed it. I usually just sit in that chair," Tony said, nodding towards the recliner next to the couch. "The most I use this couch for is a footrest."

"Where are you sleeping then?" Ziva asked, looking around the room. She knew the apartment well enough to know there was no other bed.

"I have an air mattress in the closet," Tony explained, studying Ziva's face for a moment.

"What?" Ziva asked, feeling uncomfortable under Tony's gaze.

"You've changed," Tony noted.

"People change, Tony," Ziva shrugged.

"Not like this," Tony said, shaking his head. "In the three years I have known you, I've never seen that look in your eyes. You've had it there since Salim pulled the hood off your head," he added. "We thought you were dead," he whispered.

"You had no way of knowing," she understood.

"A part of me held out hope," Tony admitted. "My gut told me you were still alive, but my brain was telling me that is was impossible. There was no way you could have survived if the ship sank in a storm."

"But I did," Ziva pointed out.

"How?" Tony asked. "Did anyone else?" he asked. "There was no one else at the camp."

Ziva turned away from him. She knew the time would come that she would have to explain what happened to land her in that terrorist camp, but she was not sure if she was ready for it yet or not. A part of her knew that that was the reason her application had been denied. She knew she barely passed her psych evaluation, and Vance had already made it clear that she was damaged goods. '_I need to know how damaged you are_,' she remembered him saying that day in his office.

"No one else survived," Ziva took a deep breath. "They were dead before the boat sank," she explained and Tony furrowed his eyebrows. This was not what he wanted to hear.

_I will try to update soon. May be Monday before I have a chance though. Please tell me what you think!_


	2. Chapter 2

_I was actually going to try to post this before tonight, but I've had one busy weekend! We found a bunch of OLD family photographs that my mother and I have been working on scanning and naming. It's been a LOT of work I tell ya!_

_Thanks for all of the reviews! I hope you enjoy this one, too. It's not as long, but it's all I wanted to do right now!_

_Enjoy_

"Want to talk about it?" Tony asked after a moment.

"Ducky put you up to this, did he not?" Ziva asked, whipping around to face Tony who shook his head. "You are trying to interrogate me," she accused.

Tony looked at Ziva for a moment, trying to find the right thing to say. "Vance has the team investigating the Damocles disappearance. He won't tell us why NCIS is involved. Ziva, we need to know what happened on the ship before it sank," he explained softly hoping Ziva did not go off on him too bad.

"And he thought you would be the best one to get me to talk?" she yelled furious.

"No, Gibbs did," Tony corrected. "Apparently he thinks I am better at it than him," he said, his voice raised. Ziva walked over to where she'd laid her bag and grabbed it, walking towards the door. "You can't keep running away from this, Zee-vah," Tony called after her. "It's going to have to come out eventually. Vance is going to want the full story, and he won't care who he hurts in the process. Unlike him, those who care about you don't want to see you hurt. We want to help you," he said from where he stood. "You get uncomfortable whenever someone even brushes the topic. You're constantly skittish. You haven't hung out with any of us since you returned. I know you needed time to readjust to the life after being held captive for three months, but its past time. You can't hide behind those walls you've built up around yourself forever. It'll do more harm than good. Please, let me help you get back to normal," Tony literally begged and Ziva saw the pleading look in his eyes.

"This is normal, Tony. I can never be the Ziva you knew before," Ziva sighed, slipping her bag on her shoulder. "That Ziva left the moment I watched your plane take off."

"No she didn't," Tony said, walking over towards Ziva. "I can still see her in there. I know you can get passed all this…"

"Get passed this?" Ziva exclaimed, letting out a sarcastic laugh. "There is no getting passed the past six months, hell the past year. There is no getting past the fact that my father no longer saw me as a fit Mossad officer. What is worse is he no longer saw me as his daughter. He acted like he did, but it was obvious all he cared about was reaching his goals. He used me," Ziva said, her walls breaking down and all the pent up emotions began rolling off her tongue. "When I was sent back to Israel after Jenny died, my father no longer saw me as an apt operative. He sent me on missions with Michael. I did not realize this to be the case until we went to Tel Aviv in May. I thought what was going between Michael and I had nothing to do with my father, but I was wrong. My father was using me all along. I was the cover. Michael used me to stay in the United States to find the terrorists. I was not included because my father did not trust me. According to him, NCIS had made me soft. I was no longer the tough killing machine he had so keenly molded my entire life."

Tony stood where he was, not saying a thing and allowing Ziva to continue her ramblings. This was exactly what she needed to do, and he was willing to pay the costs in the end.

"I stayed behind because I did not know who I trusted," Ziva continued. "I agreed to finish Michael's mission, but my father refused to tell me everything about the mission. That moment was when I realized what he was doing. On any mission, we are expected to die rather than get captured."

"But you got captured," Tony spoke up finally.

"As far as my father was concerned I was dead. I knew the moment I got captured, there was no hope of being rescued," Ziva explained softly. Tony swore he noticed a tear spill down her face. "And then you come along, after everything I have done to you, and save my life," she said, turning to Tony who was sure he saw the tears now. The wall had fully crumbled, leaving a broken Ziva standing in front of him.

"Everything I've don't has been trying to protect you. I never figured out why. You made it clear too many times that you could care for yourself," Tony explained, walking closer to her. "From the moment I met you, I felt the urge to protect you. There was something about you that perked my curiosity. You were different. When I thought I screwed up and would never see you again, it scared me. I knew something was wrong when you didn't call anyone, but I didn't know how bad. McGee, Abby, and I tracked you all the way to the Damocles but lost you. My heart literally stopped when Boss told us it sank with no survivors. It was my fault the woman I love was dead and I never told her how I felt because I was stupid and scared," he admitted softly.

Ziva looked up at Tony's face, trying to figure out if she heard what she thought she did. How she dreamt of hearing him say that during the months she was held captive. It was one of the only things that kept her going each day, even though she withdrew to the fact that that was one dream that would never come true.

"I need to go back to the office," Ziva told Tony, seeing the slight hint of disappointment in his eyes for a moment. "Before I can go forward, I need to relive the past," she explained, placing a hand on Tony's cheek. "I cannot do it alone, though," she whispered.

"You won't," Tony assured her, taking her hand in his. "I'll be there anytime you need me," he promised.

"Thank you, Tony," Ziva said, leaning forward and allowing Tony to pull her against him in a reassuring hug. In order for her to be able to go on living her life, she had to face her demons. Before now, Ziva was at a loss trying to figure out how she was going to be able to do so, but now she knew Tony was there to be her strength.

**NCIS Headquarters**

Gibbs looked up at the sound of feet walking into the team's office area, half-surprised to see Tony and Ziva walking up to his desk. "I thought I made it clear that I was to see neither of you here till Monday," he said, raising a questioning eyebrow at the two. Noticing how close the two stood, Gibbs knew something had happened between the two, but decided to wait another day for that subject.

"I am here to make my statement about the events that happened on the Damocles the day of its sinking," Ziva said, taking a deep breath. "On one condition," she added and Gibbs looked at her silently asking what that condition was. "No one is in the room but Tony and I," she proposed. Gibbs raised an eyebrow at this and looked at Tony who did not seem shocked.

"Okay," Gibbs said after a moment. "You know the way," he told the two as he headed up to the Director's office. He figured Vance may want to listen in.

"You sure you're ready?" Tony asked gently, turning to Ziva and putting his hand on her arm.

Nodding, Ziva said, "It is time."

"Anytime you want to stop, we can stop right there," Tony told her. "I won't force you to say anything you aren't ready to say."

"I know," Ziva said, allowing a small smile to form on her lips as she gazed into Tony's comforting eyes.

McGee sat at his desk watching the interaction, thoroughly stunned at the difference between his teammates from just that morning. Instead of interrupting the seemingly private moment the two seemed to be having, McGee quietly slipped out of the bullpen and headed towards Abby's lab, sure she would want to know of this latest development.

"Think we confused the Probie?" Tony asked, grinning at Ziva.

"I think we gave him more juice for his next book," Ziva replied, her eyes twinkling for the first time in a very long time.

"Here goes nothing," Tony said, taking Ziva's hand and holding it up to his lips.


	3. Chapter 3

_Okay, so I decided to make this the final chapter, since tomorrow night's episode is going to focus majorly on this whole subject, which is why I decided to write this. I am sure you will definitely enjoy the show more than this story, except I'm sure we'll never get to see any Tony/Ziva moment's anytime soon! BOOOOO Anyways, thanks for reading this story. I hope you enjoy this final chapter!_

Gibbs and Vance stood in front of the observation window watching as Tony and Ziva got situated in the interrogation room. "You sure this is a good idea?" Vance asked, glancing towards Gibbs.

"You want to know what happened on that ship," Gibbs answered. "This is the only way you're going to get it. You may not notice, but Ziva is not fully healed from the whole ordeal. Whatever happened was not something she wants to relive."

Vance did not have a chance to reply, because at that moment, Tony began to talk. "What happened on the Damocles?" he asked softly.

"Upon staying in Israel in May, I was assigned to finish Officer Rivkin's mission of taking out the terrorist camp in Somalia. All I knew was that I was to work with an American with connections in the terrorist camp. We were to infiltrate the cell as undercover married weapons dealers," she said, earning a raised eyebrow from Tony. Sounded a little familiar, Tony thought to himself. "The night before we were to met with his contacts, the ship we were on came under the attack of what we thought were Somalian pirates. It was not until later that I learned it was Salim's men," Ziva explained, choosing to look at her hands on the table. "Patrick and I fought the men as best as we could with the limited arms we had. We ran out of bullets, and were forced into hand-to-hand combat. At some point in the fighting, Patrick and I were separated. That was the last time I ever saw him alive," she said, her voice growing quiet as she relieved the events in her mind. Tony saw the tears welling up in her eyes and reached over to hold Ziva's hand in his as a form of support, receiving a look of gratitude from the woman.

"Two men pinned my arms behind me while another walked up and hit me over the head with the butt of his gun," Ziva explained. "I do not remember anything between then and when I woke up tied to a metal chair in the middle of a dusty room. Salim wanted to know everything about NCIS and why they were trying to track him down. I could not figure out how he knew about my connection with NCIS," she said, looking up into Tony's eyes to see he was confused just the same.

Gibbs looked questioningly at Vance. His gut told him that there was something the NCIS director was not telling him, and he had a good idea that it had something to do with what the Secretary of the Navy had told him that night in his basement. Gibbs turned back to the window, choosing to continue listening to the story instead of asking the director. He would ask soon enough.

"The first two months I was held captive, we moved camps five times. Each time, I was put to sleep; I assume to lessen the risk of any escape attempts. I knew the first week I was there that there was no easy chance for escape. After Salim told me about sending the ship adrift towards the storm barreling to the east, I knew there would be little chance of rescue. Anyone who investigated the disappearance of the ship would assume all died when the ship sank," Ziva explained.

"What happened to Patrick?" Tony asked.

"I was told he was brought off the ship as well, but was accidently killed when he would not provide any intel," Ziva replied. "Salim tried to use his truth serum on him, but it had been tainted and Patrick went into cardiac arrest," she explained, and noticed Tony's eyes widen. "He threw that vile out and tested the one he used on you," she assured him.

"What did you tell them?" Tony asked, one side of him not wanting to ask, but the investigator side knowing it needed to be asked.

"Nothing," Ziva said after a moment. "They tried everything they could to get me to talk: beat me, tortured me, and starved me for days. I never told them anything. After two months of torture and beatings, it stopped suddenly. I knew they no longer believed I was worth anything, and prepared for them to finally kill me. They never did, and every day I sat there waiting for them to come in through the door. They never did. Then, one day Salim stormed in the room, threw a hood over my head, and I knew that was the day I would die. Imagine my surprise when the hood is pulled off and you are sitting there in front of me tied up," she said, looking into Tony's eyes as they each relived that very moment. "You know the story from there," she finished.

"Anymore questions?" Gibbs asked, turning to face Vance.

"Does your evidence support her statement?" Vance asked.

"Abby could not track down any evidence of the Damocles final resting place, but weather reports for the area show a massive storm system barreling through the area capable of sinking a ship the size of the Damocles. There was also a body found at the camp. There was no match to the DNA, but Ducky is working on identifying him. If we knew more about this Patrick, we could try to narrow down the dental results," Gibbs said, waiting for Vance to let him in on what had remained hidden from the team.

"His name is Corporal Rodger Patrick Turner," Vance replied after a moment of studying the couple on the other side of the window. "He was assigned as part of a joint operation between the Marine Corp and NCIS to infiltrate the terrorist cell. We had intel that linked a terrorist cell in Eastern Africa to the insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. Turner was to penetrate the cell and provide the coordinates to the camp. When we received those, a Task Force was to go in and destroy the camp. Our last contact with him was the night before he was to join the crew on the Damocles."

"Were you planning on filling me in at any point?" Gibbs asked. "That is what I am supposed to be investigating?"

"It was need to know," Vance told the team leader. "I needed to know the full involvement of David before I could fill you in on the situation. I needed her story to match up with what I knew."

"Every time I asked if you knew anything about Ziva, you knew she was trying to take out this cell?" Gibbs yelled at the man.

"I knew a Mossad officer had been assigned the mission, but Director David never mentioned it was her. Even if I had known, there would have been no way for me to tell you. She was no longer a part of your team, Gibbs."

"She will always be a part of my team whether you deem her so or not. There is nothing anyone can do to stop that," Gibbs yelled, storming out of the room. If he stayed there any longer, he was sure the organization would be looking for a new director.

Tony and Ziva jerked at the door to the interrogation room opening with Gibbs storming in. "That's good for now," Gibbs told the two. "Go home, get some rest. I'll have the statement drawn up and you can sign it tomorrow morning," he said to Ziva, his voice unusually softer than the two were used to. "If either of you need anything, don't hesitate to call," he said, before turning to leave the room. "Oh, don't make me have to head-slap the two of you. It stays out of the workplace," he warned the two with a slight smirk on his face. The two just smiled at the older man as he walked out of sight.

"Ready?" Tony asked, scooting his chair out so he could stand up.

"More than ever," Ziva said, sliding her chair out as well and following Tony out of the room.

"Want to swing by the movie store and rent a couple movies?" Tony asked as the two made their way through the maze of hallways that led to the bullpen.

"Only if I get to choose," Ziva proposed.

Tony studied her for a moment with an eyebrow raised, then said, "Fine, but I get to order the Chinese."

"Deal," Ziva said, feeling herself laugh for the first time in a long time.

**Tony's Apartment**

Tony stood in the kitchen, cleaning up the mess left from their dinner. He stole a quick look at the back of Ziva's head as she snuggled up in his only chair. It was going to be a long road, but he was sure that they would get over the hump. Ziva still had a lot to go through, and he was going to be with her every step of the way, unlike in the past.

"What are you staring at?" Ziva asked, causing Tony to jump. He had not realized she was looking right at him.

"The most beautiful woman I've ever met," Tony admitted, finding himself walking towards her. "Did I just see Ziva David, the ninja that could kill with a paperclip, blush?" Tony acted astonished as he placed his hands on the arms of the chair, entrapping Ziva between him and the seat.

"It is hot in here," Ziva tried, but could not hide the smile that crept onto her lips.

Tony took that very moment to lean closer to Ziva and brush her lips with his. Before he could pull back, Tony felt Ziva's arms slip around his neck, pulling him back to her. Then two found themselves in a deep kiss. The pent up feelings the two had for each other seemed to spill over with that kiss, and each knew that this was the person they wanted for the rest of their lives. Everything seemed right when they were in each other's arms.

Tony lay in his bed with one arm holding Ziva tightly against him and the other gently rubbing circles on her shoulder. "I know there is going to be a lot of rough patches along the way, but I am here for you every step of the way. If you ever need anything, all you have to do is say so, and I'll come running," he told her, kissing the top of her head. "I love you, Zee-vah, and don't you ever forget that."

"I love you, too, Tony," Ziva whispered against his chest as she snuggled closer against him. This moment was the first time she'd felt truly safe in over a six months. Anything that was to get in the way of this happiness was not important anymore. All she cared about was rebuilding the strong relationship the two once had, and building it stronger than ever.

**The Next Morning**

Tony and Ziva walked into the bullpen, only seeing McGee at his desk. "How's the case?" Tony asked, walking over to the probie's desk.

"Solved," Gibbs said from behind the two. "Ducky matched the remains found at the terrorist compound to Corporal Rodger Patrick Turner. The high dose of sodium pentathol Salim gave Turner resulted in a massive heart attack, leading to his death. He had an unknown medical condition that never showed up on any physical," he explained.

"What about my position on the team?" Ziva asked.

"As of today you are officially on as a part-time special agent, pending completion of FLETC training," Gibbs answered. "You are scheduled to begin next month, until then you still aren't allowed to carry a gun, but you can investigate with us," he told her.

"Thanks, Gibbs," Ziva said, not looking forward to the training, but ready to be a part of the team again.


End file.
